PARTY
FOR THE SENSES
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2007

by
Debra Martin Koma
Senior Editor, ALL EARS®

Ouch! That's starting to hurt!

Why do I
say that? Well, after returning from the Epcot Food and Wine Festival's
Party for the Senses for the sixth year running, I still feel that it's
a wonderful experience -- but the price is creeping up toward the point
of diminishing returns.

This year,
this annual tasting of random samples of cuisines prepared by chefs from
all over, paired with wines and other beverage, jumped in price from $125
to $135 per person. (That's an increase of $40 over the price the first
year I attended this event in 2002.) And while you still get the chance
of sampling wares from chefs from near (Liberty Tree Tavern, Spoodles,
Boma, Tony's Town Square) and far (Washington, DC, Texas, Washington state,
Rhode Island), the cost/benefit ratio is perhaps slightly lower than it
used to be.

The basics
of this event don't change from year to year, but if you've never gone
to a Party for the Senses, here's what you need to know to prepare: As
part of the event, you get preferred seating for the 5:45 p.m. "Eat
to the Beat" Concert staged at the America Gardens Theatre. (This
year, British singer Al "Year of the Cat" Stewart opened the
series.)

When you
arrive at the theatre, check in with the Cast Member there and receive
a wristband that will get you into the Party for the Senses later. After
the concert, walk over to the World ShowPlace (located in World Showcase
between the United Kingdom and Canada pavilions), where you can pick up
your program, souvenir glass and notched plate for the evening. At 6:30
p.m., the doors to the venue will open and you can join the crowds rushing
in to find a table. If you choose not to attend the Eat to the Beat concert,
you can proceed directly to World ShowPlace, where you will have to wait
to check in and receive your glass, plate and program.

Once inside
the cavernous World ShowPlace, locate a table for yourself and your party.
There are both large tables that seat 10, smaller tables for six, and
cocktail tables with high chairs for just a few people. There's still
a rush for the best tables, but finally this year they seem to provide
adequate seating for most attendees.

Colored fabric
streamers are draped from the ceiling inside the World ShowPlace. It's
a color-coding system that matches up with the colored sections of your
party program. For example, if the taste treats you read about on the
pink page sound appetizing, look up to find the "pink zone"
-- that's where the tables with your desired food targets will be. There's
no rhyme or reason behind the arrangement of the tables, so you can visit
whichever areas you want, in whatever order you want. Best of all, you
can return to any table again and again as often as you'd like until closing
time at 9 p.m.

The event
usually does a good job of mixing Disney chefs with those from around
the country, but this year it seemed a little heavy on chefs from the
World. In fact, better than half (14 out of 25) of the chefs at this Party
were from Disney kitchens.

No matter.
They still served up some good grub.

There were
a few items featuring game or off-beat ingredients this year, and each
of those selections that I tried were delicious. The Root Beer Braised
Bison Short Ribs came from an unexpected source -- Chef Page Weibley of
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park. Tender and tasty, this was an interesting
dish that I paired with Kaiken's Ultra Malbec Reserve. A great combo.
Another game option, the Roasted Loin of Venison, was also very tender
and not strong-flavored at all. But of all the non-traditional meats there,
I think the true winner was the Ostrich Bobotie, prepared by Boma Chef
Tjetjep Sudiswa -- a spicy, flavorful ground meat in a flaky phyllo pastry.
This was one of the items that was definitely worth sampling more than
once.

Since the
offerings vary from week to week, it would be rather cruel of me to tell
you how awesome the Beef Tenderloin with Heirloom Apple Salad was, or
how big and juicy and delicious the Scallops with Cauliflower Risotto
were -- since they probably won't be available when you visit. But I will
tell you that you should be glad you missed the Diver Scallops in Pineapple,
Pink Peppercorn and Cilantro Salsa. Shudder.

I must admit
that this year there were a number of wineries that were new to me, scattered
amongst the old standbys of Louis Jadot, Moet & Chandon, Rosemount
and Penfolds. I found the Ultra Malbec Reserve from Kaiken (mentioned
above) and the Guenoc Lake County Petite Sirah to be quite good, and will
look for them on my next outing to the wine store. I also very much enjoyed
the chance to again sample the Canadian wine, Mission Hill Estate Oculus,
a red blend that I had tried last year at a Food & Wine Pairing event
in Le Cellier (the restaurant in Epcot's Canada pavilion). That I know
I can't find in a wine shop near me -- and that's a shame.

Adding an
extra dash of panache to the evening are the ever-extraordinary performers
from Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba, who performed periodically on a centrally
located stage. (They did not stroll among the participants this year as
they have done in years past -- or if they did, they never made their
way to the very back of World ShowPlace, where I was seated.) These tiny
tastes of the most excellent Cirque, along with occasional performances
by a group of live musicians, complement the evening quite nicely.

I still do
believe that if you want to splurge on just one big-ticket event during
the Food and Wine Festival, the Party for the Senses is well worth the
money. However, I will add that if the price continues its upward trend,
this may well be the last year I attend.